Systems and methods to identify target video content

ABSTRACT

A method includes receiving, by a server, a data transmission of video content destined for a data storage device. The method includes generating, by the server, a content signature by application of a wavelet transform to a plurality of frames of a time sequence of frames of the video content. The method includes selecting, by the server based on content metadata for the video content, particular prohibited content signatures from a plurality of prohibited content signatures. Each prohibited content signature of the particular prohibited content signatures corresponds to a wavelet transform of a plurality of frames of prohibited content. The method also includes, in response to a first determination that a first prohibited content signature of the particular prohibited content signatures matches the content signature, preventing transmission of the video content from the server to the data storage device.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application claims priority from, and is a continuation of, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/959,905, filed Dec. 19, 2007, which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure is generally related to identifying target videocontent.

BACKGROUND

Video sharing services have become increasingly popular on the Internet.Services such as Metacafe and YouTube may allow users to upload videocontent for access by other users. Occasionally, a user may upload videocontent that they should not, such as video content that includesinappropriate subject matter or video content that is copyrightprotected and that the user does not have permission from the copyrightowner to upload. Hence, there is a need for an improved method andsystem to identify target video content and to monitor transmissions ofvideo content.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a particular illustrative embodiment of asystem to monitor transmission of video content;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a first particular illustrative embodimentof a method of monitoring transmission of video content;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a second particular illustrative embodimentof a method of monitoring transmission of video content;

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a third particular illustrative embodimentof a method of monitoring transmission of video content;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a particular illustrative embodiment of asystem to identify target video content;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a first particular illustrative embodimentof a method of identifying target video content;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a second particular illustrative embodimentof a method of identifying target video content;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of an exemplary embodiment of signatures related tovideo content;

FIG. 9 is a diagram of a particular illustrative embodiment ofcross-correlation vectors related to video content; and

FIG. 10 is a diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a general computersystem.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In a particular embodiment, a system to monitor data transmissions isprovided. The system includes a network interface to receive videocontent data and a signature module to generate a content signaturebased on the video content data. The system also includes a prohibitedcontent module to select one or more prohibited content signaturesassociated with at least one prohibited content item based on contentmetadata of the video content and to compare the content signature tothe one or more prohibited content signatures.

A method of monitoring transmission of video content is also provided.The method includes monitoring a data transmission. The datatransmission includes video content data. The method also includesgenerating a content signature based on the video content data andidentifying content metadata associated with the video content. Themethod further includes determining whether the video content includesprohibited content by evaluating the content signature and the contentmetadata.

A system to identify target video content is also provided. The systemincludes a database interface to access at least one video content itemfrom a content storage. The content storage includes the at least onevideo content item and content metadata of the at least one videocontent item. The system also includes a signature module coupled to thedatabase interface to determine a content signature based on the atleast one video content item and a target content module to compare thecontent signature to target content signature data based at leastpartially on the content metadata.

A method of identifying target video content is provided. The methodincludes accessing content metadata of a video content item at a contentstorage. The method also includes determining at least one contentsignature based on the video content item and determining whether thevideo content item includes target video content based at leastpartially on the content signature and the content metadata.

A computer-readable medium is also provided. That computer-readablemedium includes instructions executable by a processor to access contentmetadata of a video content item at a content storage. Thecomputer-readable medium also includes instructions executable by aprocessor to determine at least one content signature based on the videocontent item. The computer-readable medium further includes instructionsexecutable by a processor to determine whether the video content itemincludes target video content based at least partially on the contentsignature and the content metadata.

FIG. 1 depicts a first particular embodiment of a system to monitor datatransmissions. The system, generally designated 100, includes aregistered user device 104 and an unregistered user device 102 adaptedto communicate with a video content storage 108 via a wide area network106, such as the Internet. The user devices 102 and 104 may access videocontent 112 stored at the video content storage 108. The video content112 may be associated with metadata 110. Generally, the metadata 110includes information descriptive of the video content 112, such as fileinformation (e.g., file format, file size, upload date and/or time, dataidentifying a user who uploaded the content, etc.), content descriptiveinformation (e.g., title, names of persons associated with the videocontent, plot elements, etc.), popularity information (e.g., viewerratings, number or frequency of downloads, etc.), other informationrelated to the video content, or any combination thereof.

In a particular embodiment, the registered user device 104 may beadapted to transmit data to the video content storage 108 to uploadadditional video content and to provide metadata related to theadditional video content. The video content storage 108 may include anydata storage device, such as one or more electric or static memorydevices, one or more optical memory devices, one or more magnetic memorydevices, any other memory device, or any combination thereof.Additionally, the video content storage 108 may include any data storagestructure, such as a database, a flat file system, any other datastorage arrangement, or any combination thereof. The system 100 mayinclude a content control and management system 114. The content controland management system 114 may be adapted to monitor data transmissionsreceived at the video content storage 108 to identify video contentuploaded to the video content storage 108. The content control andmanagement system 114 may be operated by an operator of the videocontent distribution system, or by any other entity. For example, thecontent control and management system 114 may be based at a clientdevice, such as the registered use device 104, or may be based at oroperated by an Internet service provider, a provider or video content(e.g., a copyright owner), a video content distributor (e.g., at a videohead-end office), any other entity with access to a transmitted videostream, or any combination thereof.

The content control and management system 114 may include a networkinterface 118 to receive video content data uploaded to the videocontent storage 108. The video content data may include raw videocontent or compressed video content. The video content data may alsoinclude metadata related to the video content. In a particularillustrative embodiment, the video content data may include a MovingPicture Experts Group (MPEG) video data stream. The content control andmanagement system 114 may also include a processor 116 and memory 120accessible to the processor 116. In an illustrative embodiment, thecontent control and management system 114 may include various modules122-126 adapted to perform various functions of the content control andmanagement system 114. The modules 112-126 can include logic, hardware,computer instructions that may be executable by the processor 116, orany combination thereof. Additionally, the modules 112-126 may bediscrete functional elements, such as logic blocks, or may be combinedfunctional elements, such as one or more software instructions setexecutable by the logic to perform the functions described herein.

In a particular embodiment, the content control and management system114 may include an inspection module 122 to inspect data packets sent tothe video content storage 108 to determine whether the data packetsinclude video content. The content control and management system 114 mayalso include a signature module 123. The signature module 123 may beadapted to process video content sent to the video control store 108 togenerate a content signature based on the video content. For example,the content signature may include a sequence of coefficients of awavelet transform of at least a portion of the video content. In anillustrative embodiment, a content signature can be generated byapplying a wavelet transform to a plurality of subsections of the videocontent. For example, the video content can include Moving PictureExperts Group (MPEG) content having a plurality of frames. The signaturemodule 123 can determine a plurality of subsections of the MPEG videocontent based at least partially on a sequence of Intra-coded frames(I-frames), Predictive-coded frames (P-frames), or any combinationthereof, within the MPEG video content. For instance, each subsectioncan be identified by a sequence number of an I-frame that is designatedas the beginning or end of the subsection. By applying a wavelettransform, such as a Haar wavelet transform, to each of the subsections,a sequence of coefficients can be generated. Illustrative embodiments ofcontent signatures are depicted in FIG. 8.

In a particular illustrative embodiment, a Haar wavelet transform may beapplied to each subsection of a video content item to generate one ormore signatures corresponding to the video content. Each signatureincludes a sequence of coefficients produced by applying the wavelettransform to the plurality of I-frames. In an illustrative, non-limitingembodiment, a plurality of signatures corresponding to each subsectionof the video content can be generated. Each of the plurality ofsignatures can correspond to a different scale or degree of resolution,such as a lowest degree of resolution having a fewest number ofcoefficients, a highest degree of resolution having a greatest number ofcoefficients, and other degrees of resolution having varying numbers ofcoefficients.

The content control and management system 114 may also include aprohibited content module 124. The prohibited content module 124 may beadapted to compare the content signature to prohibited content signaturedata. For example, the prohibited content signature data may includecontent signatures associated with prohibited content, such ascopyrighted content or content that has been deemed inappropriate. In anillustrative embodiment, the prohibited content module 124 may comparethe content signature to prohibited content signature data based atleast partially on metadata associated with the video content. Forexample, a signature storage 128 may include a plurality of contentsignatures associated with prohibited content. The content signature fora particular video content item may vary depending on the resolution ofthe particular video content item. Therefore, the signature storage mayinclude more than one prohibited content signature for each item ofprohibited video content. The prohibited content module 124 may selectone or more prohibited content signatures to compare the contentsignature to based on the resolution of the video content and resolutionvalues associated with each prohibited content signature.

The content control and management system 114 may also include adetection module 125. The detection module 125 may be adapted to comparea previous version of particular prohibited video content to receivedvideo content to determine whether a user has modified the contentformat. For example, when video content including prohibited videocontent is received from the registered user device 104, the detectionmodule 125 may compare metadata associated with the video content toprohibited content data to determine whether the registered user device104 or a user associated with the registered user device 104 haspreviously uploaded the video content or attempted to upload the videocontent with different metadata.

The content control and management system 114 may so include a blockingmodule 126. The blocking module 126 may be adapted to block datatransmissions when received video content includes prohibited videocontent. The blocking module may terminate an ongoing data transmissionthat includes the prohibited video content, may prevent future datatransmissions from the device (such as, registered user device 104) oruser that sent the prohibited video content, or any combination thereof.

In operation, a user at registered user device 104, such as a personaldigital assistant, a mobile phone, a set-top box, a computer, a videogame console, another device adapted to view or store video content, orany combination thereof, may upload video content to the video contentstorage 108 via the wide area network 106. The user may provide metadatadescriptive of the video content transmitted to the video contentstorage 108. In a particular illustrative embodiment, at least a portionof the metadata may be automatically generated.

The inspection module 122 may inspect data packets received at the videocontent storage 108 to determine whether the data packets include videocontent. When video content is identified by the inspection module 122,the signature module 123 may be activated to generate at least onecontent signature based on the video content.

The prohibited content module 124 may identify metadata associated withthe video content. For example, the prohibited content module 124 mayaccess metadata 110 stored at the video content storage 108 andassociated with the video content 112. In another particular embodiment,the inspection module 122 may identify the metadata from the datatransmitted to the video content storage 108 and may provide themetadata to the prohibited content module 124. The prohibited contentmodule 124 may access the signature storage 128 to identify contentsignatures associated with content that is prohibited from being storedat or accessible via the video content storage 108. In a particularembodiment, the prohibited content module 124 may access one or moreprohibited content signatures based on metadata associated with thereceived video content. For example, the content signature associatedwith the received video content may be dependant upon the resolution ofthe video content. The prohibited content module 124 may identify theresolution of the video content based on the metadata, and may select aprohibited content signature associated with a resolution value similarto the resolution value of the received video content.

The prohibited content module 124 may compare one or more prohibitedcontent signatures to the one or more content signatures associated withthe received video content to determine whether the received videocontent includes prohibited video content. In a particular embodiment,prohibited video content may include copyright protected content notauthorized for storage or uploading to the video content storage 108 orvideo content that is considered inappropriate for storage or uploadingto the video content storage 108. To illustrate, prohibited content mayinclude blacklisted content that has been identified by contentproviders or copyright owners as not being authorized for upload to orstorage at the video content storage 108.

When the prohibited content module 124 determines that received videocontent includes prohibited video content, the blocking module 126 maybe activated. The blocking module may inhibit transmission of the videocontent to the video content storage 108. For example, the blockingmodule 126 may add the registered user device 104 to a blacklist,thereby preventing receipt of video content from the registered userdevice 104. In another example, the blocking module 126 may remove theregistered user device 104 from a list of authorized devices, therebypreventing access to the video content storage 108 for upload of videocontent. In a particular illustrative embodiment, action taken by theblocking module 124 to inhibit the transmission of the video content maybe a short term measure, such as terminating a particular connection, ormay include a long term measure, such as preventing the registered userdevice 104 or a user associated with the registered user device 104 fromre-registering and uploading video content in the future.

In a particular embodiment, the detection module 125 may also beactivated when prohibited video content is detected. The detectionmodule 125 may determine whether a user associated with the registereduser device 104 has attempted to modify the format of the video content.Modifying the format of the video content may be associated with anattempt to avoid the detection of the video content as prohibited videocontent. If the detection module 125 determines that the user associatedwith the registered user device 104 has attempted to modify the format,the blocking module 126 may initiate a longer term blocking function,such as prohibiting the user associated with the registered user device104 from uploading content in the future.

FIG. 2 depicts a flow chart of a first particular embodiment of a methodof monitoring transmission of video content. The method is generallydesignated 200. The method 200 includes, at 202, monitoring a datatransmission including video content data and, at 204, generating acontent signature based on the video content data. For example, thecontent signature may include a sequence of coefficients of a wavelettransform of at least a portion of the video content. Illustrativeembodiments of content signatures are depicted in FIG. 8.

The method 200 also includes, at 206, identifying content metadataassociated with the video content. In a particular embodiment, thecontent metadata associated with the video content may be identified byaccessing metadata transmitted with the video content. For example,metadata may be sent with the video content to the video contentstorage. The metadata may include information descriptive of the videocontent, such as a title, keywords, names of persons associated with thevideo content, etc.; information descriptive of the transmitted data,such as a file size, a file format, a saved or created date, an InternetProtocol address associated with the sending device, etc.; or anycombination thereof. In another particular embodiment, the contentmetadata may be identified by accessing data previously stored to thevideo content storage. For example, prior to uploading the videocontent, a user may be asked to provide metadata to the video contentstorage. In an illustrative embodiment, the content metadata may beidentified, at 208, by accessing content descriptive informationprovided by the user transmitting the video content data.

The method 200 also includes, at 210, determining whether the videocontent includes prohibited content based on the content signature andthe content metadata. For example, the method 200 may includedetermining whether the video content includes prohibited content by, at212, comparing the content signature to prohibited content signaturedata based at least partially on content metadata associated with thecontent. To illustrate, as shown in FIG. 8, the content signatureassociated with an item of video content may depend upon the degree ofresolution of the item of video content. The degree of resolution of theitem of video content may be determined based on the content metadata.Based on the degree of resolution, prohibited content signatures withsimilar resolutions may be selected for comparison to the contentsignature to determine whether the item of video content includeprohibited video content.

Returning to FIG. 2, the method 200 also includes, at 214, generating arecord of the data transmission. For example, a record of the datatransmission may be generated when the video content includes prohibitedcontent. The record may include information descriptive of the usertransmitting the video content and information descriptive of the videocontent. When additional video content is received from the useridentified in the record, the information descriptive of the videocontent may be used to determine whether the user has attempted tomodify the prohibited video content so that it can be uploaded. If theuser is determined to have modified the prohibited content for upload,further steps may be taken to prevent the user from uploading videocontent data in the future.

The method 200 also includes, at 216, blocking the data transmissionwhen the video content includes prohibited content. Blocking the datatransmission may include short term steps, such as closing a connectionby which the data is being transmitted, or longer term steps, such asblacklisting a user associated with the data transmission or a userdevice associated with the data transmission. The method terminates at218.

FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart of a second particular embodiment of amethod of monitoring transmission of video content. The method,generally designated 300, further illustrates determining whether thevideo content includes prohibited content. The method 300 includes, at302, comparing the content metadata to a metadata index to identify atleast one prohibited content item that the video content potentiallyincludes. For example, the content metadata may include a title or filename of the video content and the metadata index may be searched toidentify prohibited content items that have a similar title. In anotherexample, the content metadata may include a file size and the metadataindex may be searched to identify prohibited content items that have asimilar file size. In yet another example, the content metadata mayinclude a resolution value associated with the video content and themetadata index may be search to identify prohibited content itemsassociated with similar resolution values.

The method 300 also includes, at 304, accessing a prohibited contentsignature associated with at least one of the prohibited content itemsand, at 306, comparing a content signature to the prohibited contentsignature. The method 300 may also include, at 308, comparing thecontent metadata to prohibited content metadata to determine whether thevideo content includes prohibited video content. For example, acomparison of titles, file sizes, or other descriptive informationprovided by a user may be used to determine whether the video contentincludes prohibited video content.

FIG. 4 depicts a flow chart of a third particular embodiment of a methodof monitoring transmission of video content. The method is generallydesignated 400. The method 400 includes, at 402, detecting a datatransmission including video content. The method 400 also includes, at404, accessing user profile history including information related to auser associated with the data transmission, and at 406, determiningwhether the user has a history of transmitting prohibited video content.In a particular embodiment, if the user has a history of transmittingprohibited video content, additional precautions may be taken to ensurethat video content received from the user does not include prohibitedvideo content. In a particular illustrative embodiment, if a user doesnot have a history of transmitting prohibited video content, videocontent received from the user may not be analyzed to determined whetherit includes prohibited video content. In a particular illustrativeembodiment, when the user has a history of transmitting prohibited videocontent, the method 400 may include, at 408, determining whether thevideo content received from the user includes prohibited video content.

FIG. 5 depicts a particular embodiment of a system to identify targetvideo content. The system, generally designated 500, includes anunregistered user device 502 and a registered user device 504 adapted tocommunicate with a video content storage 508 via a wide area network506. The user devices 502 and 504 may access video content 512 stored atthe video content storage 508. Additionally, the registered user devices504 may upload additional video content to the video content storage508. The video content 512 may be associated with metadata 510.Generally, the metadata 510 includes information descriptive of thevideo content 512, such as file information (e.g., format, size, uploaddate and/or time, data identifying a user who uploaded the content,etc.), content descriptive information (e.g., title, names of personsassociated with the video content, plot element, etc.), popularityinformation (e.g., viewer ratings, number or frequency of downloads,etc.), other information related to the video content, or anycombination thereof.

In a particular embodiment, the video content storage 508 may beaccessible to a control and management system 514. The control andmanagement system 514 may include an interface 518 to communicate withthe video content storage 508, a processor 516, and memory 520accessible to the processor 516. The control and management system 514may also include one or more modules 522-526 to implement functions ofthe control and management system 514. In an illustrative embodiment,the modules 522-526 can include logic, hardware, computer instructionsexecutable by the processor 516, or any combination thereof.Additionally, the modules 522-526 may be discrete functional elements,such as logic blocks, or may be combined functional elements, such asone or more software instructions set executable by the logic to performthe functions described herein.

In a particular embodiment, the control and management system 514 may beadapted to scan the video content storage 508 to determine whether anyof the video content 512 includes target video content. For example, thetarget video content may include prohibited video content identified ata signature storage 528.

In a particular embodiment, the control and management system 514 mayinclude a signature module 522. The signature module 522 may be adaptedto generate a content signature associated with a video content itemstored at the video content storage 508. For example, the signaturemodule 522 may access the video content 512 and may determine a seriesof coefficients associated with a wavelet transform of each videocontent item. In an illustrative embodiment, a content signature can begenerated by applying a wavelet transform to a plurality of subsectionsof the video content item. For example, the video content item caninclude Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) content having a pluralityof frames. The signature module 522 can determine a plurality ofsubsections of the MPEG video content based at least partially on asequence of Intra-coded frames (I-frames), Predictive-coded frames(P-frames), or any combination thereof, within the MPEG video content.For instance, each subsection can be identified by a sequence number ofan I-frame that is designated as the beginning or end of the subsection.By applying a wavelet transform, such as a Haar wavelet transform, toeach of the subsections, a sequence of coefficients can be generated.Illustrative embodiments of content signatures are depicted in FIG. 8.

The system 500 may also include a target content module 523. The targetcontent module 523 may be adapted to compare the content signature totarget content signature data based at least partially on contentmetadata 510 of the video content. For example, content signatureassociated with a particular video content item may be dependent upon aresolution value of the video content item. The signature storage 528may include a plurality of target content signatures associated witheach target content item. Each of the plurality of target contentsignatures associated with a particular target content item may berelated to a different resolution value. To illustrate, a particulartarget content item may be associated with a first target contentsignature determined at a first resolution level. The particular targetcontent item may also be associated with a second target contentsignature determined at a second resolution level. The signature module522 may generate a content signature associated with a particular videocontent item and provide the content signature to the target contentmodule 523. The target content module 523 may determine, based onmetadata associated with the particular video content item, a resolutionvalue associated with the video content item. The target content module523 may access the signature storage 528 and identify target contentsignature data associated with a similar resolution value. The targetcontent module 523 may compare the target content signature data to thecontent signature provided by the signature module 522 to determinewhether the particular video content item is a target content item.

The system 500 may also include an access module 524. The access module524 may be adapted to modify access settings of the video contentstorage 508 when target content is identified. For example, the accessmodule 524 may determine a user associated with uploading the targetcontent to the video content storage 508. The access module 524 maymodify the user's rights to access the video content storage 508 basedon the user uploading the target video content. To illustrate, thetarget video content may include prohibited video content, and the userassociated with uploading the prohibited video content may be added to ablacklist to be prohibited from uploading video content in the future.In another example, the access module 524 may restrict access to thetarget video content by all users or a set of users. To illustrate, thetarget video content may be designated as inappropriate for certainusers, such as minors, and the access module 524 may modify accesssettings associated with the target video content to prohibit certainusers from accessing the target video content based on the designation.In a particular embodiment, the system 500 may also include a scrubbingmodule 525. The scrubbing module 525 may be adapted to remove a videocontent item from the video content storage 508 when the video contentitem is determined to include a target video content item.

The system 500 may also include a detection module 526. The detectionmodule 526 may be adapted to determine whether particular video contentitem has been modified to avoid detection as target video content. Forexample, a user may modify the format of a video content item, e.g.,change the format from an MPEG file to a Windows Media file, in anattempt to prevent the video content item from being identified astarget video content. When the detection module 526 determines that auser has modified a video content item, additional measures may be takento ensure that other content provided by the user at the video contentstorage 508 does not include target content items.

FIG. 6 depicts a flow chart of a first particular embodiment of a methodof identifying target video content. The method is generally designated600. The method 600 includes, at 602, accessing content metadata relatedto a video content item at a content storage. The method 600 alsoincludes, at 604, determining at least one content signature based onthe video content item. For example, determining at least one contentsignature based on the video content item may include generating a firstsequence of coefficients of a wavelet transform of at least a portion ofthe video content item, at 606.

The method 600 also includes, at 608, accessing target content signaturedata. The target content signature data may include a plurality ofcontent signatures associated with target content. The target contentsignature data may also include, metadata associated with the targetcontent.

The method 600 also includes, at 610, determining whether the videocontent item includes target content based at least partially on thecontent signature and the content metadata. For example, determiningwhether the video content item includes target content may includecomparing the first sequence of coefficients to a second sequence ofcoefficients related to the target content. To illustrate, one or morecross-correlation vectors may be evaluated. The cross-correlationvectors may compare a sequence of coefficients of the content signaturewith a sequence of coefficients of the target content signature data.Similarities between the cross-correlation vectors, such assubstantially matching peaks, may indicate that the video content itemincludes the target content with an acceptable degree of confidence.Examples of cross-correlation vectors are illustrated in FIG. 9. In aparticular embodiment, noise corresponding to high-frequency portions ofa signal carrying video content may be filtered out before the targetcontent signature data and content signature are compared.

In a particular embodiment, the method 600 may also include, at 614,inhibiting access to the video content item when the video content itemincludes target video content. In a particular illustrative embodiment,inhibiting access to the video content item may include, at 616,modifying access privileges associated with the video content item. Forexample, the access privileges may be modified such that certain usersmay not access or view the video content item. In another particularillustrative embodiment, inhibiting access to the video content item mayinclude, at 618, removing the video content item from a video contentstorage.

FIG. 7 depicts a flow chart of a second particular embodiment of amethod of identifying target video content, generally designated 700.The method 700 includes, at 702, determining a degree of resolution,such as a resolution value, of a video content item based on contentmetadata associated with the video content item. For example, each videocontent item in a data store may include data descriptive of the videocontent item. The data descriptive of the video content item may includea resolution value. The resolution value may be used for example by avideo content viewer application in connection with accessing andviewing the video content item.

The method 700 may also include, at 704, selecting at least one targetsignature with a degree of resolution similar to the degree ofresolution of the video content. The method 700 may also include, at706, comparing a content signature with the at least one target contentsignature. For example, comparing the content signature with the atleast one content signature may include, at 708, determining across-correlation vector corresponding to the content signature and tothe at least one target content signature.

Referring to FIG. 8, a particular illustrative embodiment of a pluralityof signatures corresponding to video content is illustrated. In theembodiment shown, a video content stream 801 includes a plurality ofI-frames associated with various sequence numbers 802. In anillustrative embodiment, the video content stream 801 can be representedby a graph showing I-frame bit size 803 for each sequence number 802. AHaar wavelet transform or other wavelet transform can be applied tosubsections of the video content delineated by the I-frames to generatea plurality of signatures corresponding to the video content, such asthe signatures d1-d11. Each signature includes a plurality ofcoefficients associated with the same range of sequence numbers as theplurality of I-frames. In a particular embodiment, the plurality ofsignatures can include a lowest-resolution signature d11 804 having afewest number of coefficients and a highest-resolution signature d1 805having a greatest number of coefficients.

Referring to FIG. 9, a particular illustrative embodiment of a pluralityof cross-correlation vectors to compare signatures corresponding tovideo content is illustrated. In the embodiment shown, a plurality ofcross-correlation vectors, such as the cross-correlation vector 901, areillustrated. Each cross-correlation vector corresponds to a differentlevel of resolution, such as Level 1 902 and other levels. In aparticular embodiment, a cross-correlation peak 903 within eachcross-correlation vector can indicate a match between two signatureshaving the same degree of resolution.

In conjunction with the configuration of structure described herein, thesystems and methods disclosed provide identification of target videocontent and monitoring transmission of video content. In a particularillustrative embodiment, a data stream carrying video content can besent from a user device to a video content storage via a wide areanetwork. A content control and management system may monitor thetransmission and determine if the transmission includes data related tovideo content. When the transmission includes data related to videocontent, the content control and management system may determine acontent signature related to the video content. The content control andmanagement system may also determine content metadata related to thevideo content. The content control and management system may determinewhether the video content includes prohibited content based on thecontent signature and the content metadata.

In another particular embodiment, a control and management system mayaccess a video content storage to identify target video content. Thecontrol and management system may access content metadata related to avideo content item at a content storage, and determine at least onecontent signature related to the video content item. The control andmanagement system may determine whether the video content item includestarget content based at least partially on the content signature and thecontent metadata.

Referring to FIG. 10, an illustrative embodiment of a general computersystem is shown and is designated 1000. The computer system 1000 caninclude a set of instructions that can be executed to cause the computersystem 1000 to perform any one or more of the methods or computer basedfunctions disclosed herein. The computer system 1000 may operate as astandalone device or may be connected, e.g., using a network, to othercomputer systems or peripheral devices. For example, the computer system1000 may include or be included within any one or more of the userdevices, video content storage, content control and management systems,signature storage, or control and management systems illustrated anddiscussed with respect to FIGS. 1 and 5.

In a networked deployment, the computer system may operate in thecapacity of a server or as a client user computer in a server-clientuser network environment, or as a peer computer system in a peer-to-peer(or distributed) network environment. The computer system 1000 can alsobe implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as apersonal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personaldigital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptopcomputer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a wirelesstelephone, a land-line telephone, a control system, a camera, a scanner,a facsimile machine, a printer, a pager, a personal trusted device, aweb appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any other machinecapable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise)that specify actions to be taken by that machine. In a particularembodiment, the computer system 1000 can be implemented using electronicdevices that provide voice, video or data communication. Further, whilea single computer system 1000 is illustrated, the term “system” shallalso be taken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems thatindividually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructionsto perform one or more computer functions.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the computer system 1000 may include aprocessor 1002, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphicsprocessing unit (GPU), or both. Moreover, the computer system 1000 caninclude a main memory 1004 and a static memory 1006, that cancommunicate with each other via a bus 1008. As shown, the computersystem 1000 may further include a video display unit 1010, such as aliquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), aflat panel display, a solid state display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT).Additionally, the computer system 1000 may include an input device 1012,such as a keyboard, and a cursor control device 1014, such as a mouse orremote control. The computer system 1000 can also include a disk driveunit 1016, a signal generation device 1018, such as a speaker, and anetwork interface device 1020.

In a particular embodiment, as depicted in FIG. 10, the disk drive unit1016 may include a computer-readable medium 1022 in which one or moresets of instructions 1024, e.g. software, can be embedded. Further, theinstructions 1024 may embody one or more of the methods or logic asdescribed herein. In a particular embodiment, the instructions 1024 mayreside completely, or at least partially, within the main memory 1004,the static memory 1006, and/or within the processor 1002 duringexecution by the computer system 1000. The main memory 1004 and theprocessor 1002 also may include computer-readable media.

In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations, suchas application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arraysand other hardware devices, can be constructed to implement one or moreof the methods described herein. Applications that may include theapparatus and systems of various embodiments can broadly include avariety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodimentsdescribed herein may implement functions using two or more specificinterconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and datasignals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or asportions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, thepresent system encompasses software, firmware, and hardwareimplementations.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, themethods described herein may be implemented by software programsexecutable by a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limitedembodiment, implementations can include distributed processing,component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing.Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed toimplement one or more of the methods or functionality as describedherein.

The present disclosure contemplates a computer-readable medium thatincludes instructions 1024 or receives and executes instructions 1024responsive to a propagated signal, so that a device connected to anetwork 1026 can communicate voice, video or data over the network 1026.Further, the instructions 1024 may be transmitted or received over thenetwork 1026 via the network interface device 1020.

While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single medium, theterm “computer-readable medium” includes a single medium or multiplemedia, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associatedcaches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term“computer-readable medium” shall also include any medium that is capableof storing, encoding or carrying a set of instructions for execution bya processor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or moreof the methods or operations disclosed herein.

In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, thecomputer-readable medium can include a solid-state memory such as amemory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatileread-only memories. Further, the computer-readable medium can be arandom access memory or other volatile re-writable memory. Additionally,the computer-readable medium can include a magneto-optical or opticalmedium, such as a disk or tapes or other storage device to capturecarrier wave signals such as a signal communicated over a transmissionmedium. A digital file attachment to an e-mail or other self-containedinformation archive or set of archives may be considered a distributionmedium that is equivalent to a tangible storage medium. Accordingly, thedisclosure is considered to include any one or more of acomputer-readable medium or a distribution medium and other equivalentsand successor media, in which data or instructions may be stored.

Although the present specification describes components and functionsthat may be implemented in particular embodiments with reference toparticular standards and protocols, the disclosed embodiments are notlimited to such standards and protocols. For example, standards forInternet and other packet switched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP,UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP) represent examples of the state of the art. Suchstandards are periodically superseded by faster or more efficientequivalents having essentially the same functions. Accordingly,replacement standards and protocols having the same or similar functionsas those disclosed herein are considered equivalents thereof.

The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended toprovide a general understanding of the structure of the variousembodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a completedescription of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systemsthat utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many otherembodiments may be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewingthe disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from thedisclosure, such that structural and logical substitutions and changesmay be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure.Additionally, the illustrations are merely representational and may notbe drawn to scale. Certain proportions within the illustrations may beexaggerated, while other proportions may be reduced. Accordingly, thedisclosure and the figures are to be regarded as illustrative ratherthan restrictive.

One or more embodiments of the disclosure may be referred to herein,individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely forconvenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of thisapplication to any particular invention or inventive concept. Moreover,although specific embodiments have been illustrated and describedherein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangementdesigned to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted forthe specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover anyand all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments.Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments notspecifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in theart upon reviewing the description.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is submitted with the understanding thatit will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of theclaims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, variousfeatures may be grouped together or described in a single embodiment forthe purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to beinterpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodimentsrequire more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter may bedirected to less than all of the features of any of the disclosedembodiments. Thus, the following claims are incorporated into theDetailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as definingseparately claimed subject matter.

The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall withinthe true spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, to the maximumextent allowed by law, the scope of the present invention is to bedetermined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the followingclaims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited bythe foregoing detailed description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving, by a processingsystem, a data transmission of video content from a source devicedestined for a data storage device; generating, by the processingsystem, a content signature by application of a wavelet transform to aplurality of video content frames of a time sequence of frames of thevideo content; selecting, by the processing system based on contentmetadata for the video content, particular prohibited content signaturesfrom a plurality of prohibited content signatures, wherein eachprohibited content signature of the particular prohibited contentsignatures corresponds to a wavelet transform of a plurality of framesof prohibited content; determining, by the processing system, that afirst prohibited content signature of the particular prohibited contentsignatures matches the content signature according to analysis ofcross-correlation vectors comparing a first sequence of coefficients ofthe content signature with a second sequence of coefficients of thefirst prohibited content signature; and in response to the determiningthat the first prohibited content signature of the particular prohibitedcontent signatures matches the content signature; terminating, by theprocessing system, the data transmission of the video content from thesource device to the data storage device; and adding or removing thesource device to or from a list of authorized or unauthorized devicesthereby preventing a future receipt of content from the source device bythe data storage device.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein theterminating the data transmission comprises terminating a particularconnection between the source device and the data storage device, andwherein the adding or removing the source device to or from the list isbased in part on a determination that a user associated with the sourcedevice has attempted to modify a format of the video content.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising determining, by the processingsystem, a resolution of the video content based on the content metadataassociated with the video content, wherein the terminating the datatransmission includes terminating a connection.
 4. The method of claim1, further comprising generating, by the processing system in responseto determining that the first prohibited content signature matched thecontent signature, a record of the data transmission, the recordincluding identity information descriptive of a user device thatinitiated the data transmission and content information descriptive ofthe video content.
 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising adding,by the processing system, the identity information to a blacklist ofdevices that are prohibited from sending content to the data storagedevice.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting the particularprohibited content signatures is based on a resolution of the videocontent indicated in the content metadata.
 7. The method of claim 1,wherein the selecting the particular prohibited content signatures isfurther based on a comparison of the content metadata to a metadataindex.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the particular prohibitedcontent signatures include a set of prohibited signatures correspondingto prohibited content with a similar title, prohibited content having asimilar file size, or both.
 9. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining that a user device that initiated the data transmissionpreviously sent prohibited content to the data storage device, whereinthe determining that the first prohibited content signature of theparticular prohibited content signatures matches the content signatureis initiated in response to the determining that the user device thatinitiated the data transmission previously sent prohibited content tothe data storage device.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein theplurality of video content frames is selected based on an intra-codedframe of the video content.
 11. A non-transitory computer-readablestorage medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed bya processing system including a processor, cause the processor toperform operations comprising: receiving a data transmission of videocontent from a source device destined for a data storage device;generating a content signature by application of a wavelet transform toa plurality of video content frames of a time sequence of frames of thevideo content; selecting, based on content metadata for the videocontent, particular prohibited content signatures from a plurality ofprohibited content signatures, wherein each prohibited content signatureof the particular prohibited content signatures corresponds to a wavelettransform of a plurality of frames of prohibited content; determiningthat a first prohibited content signature of the particular prohibitedcontent signatures matches the content signature according to analysisof cross-correlation vectors comparing a first sequence of coefficientsof the content signature with a second sequence of coefficients of thefirst prohibited content signature; and in response to the determiningthat the first prohibited content signature of the particular prohibitedcontent signatures matches the content signature; terminating the datatransmission of the video content from the source device to the datastorage device; and adding or removing the source device to or from alist of authorized or unauthorized devices thereby preventing a futurereceipt of content from the source device by the data storage device.12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11,wherein the terminating the data transmission comprises terminating aparticular connection between the source device and the data storagedevice, and wherein the adding or removing the source device to or fromthe list is based in part on a determination that a user associated withthe source device has attempted to modify a format of the video content.13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11,wherein the operations further comprise, in response to determining thatthe first prohibited content signature matched the content signature,changing a status of a user device that initiated transmission of thevideo content from a registered device to an unregistered device. 14.The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, whereinthe wavelet transform includes a Haar wavelet transform.
 15. Thenon-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein theplurality of video content frames is selected based on an intra-codedframe, a predictive-coded frame, or both.
 16. A device comprising: aprocessing system including a processor; and a memory that storesexecutable instructions that, when executed by the processing system,facilitate performance of operations comprising: monitoring a datatransmission including video content, the data transmission being from asource device to a data storage device; generating a content signatureby application of a wavelet transform to a plurality of video contentframes of the video content; selecting, based on content metadata forthe video content, particular prohibited content signatures from aplurality of prohibited content signatures, wherein each prohibitedcontent signature of the particular prohibited content signaturescorresponds to a wavelet transform of a plurality of frames ofprohibited content; determining that a first prohibited contentsignature of the particular prohibited content signatures matches thecontent signature according to analysis of cross-correlation vectorscomparing a first sequence of coefficients of the content signature witha second sequence of coefficients of the first prohibited contentsignature; and in response to the determining that the first prohibitedcontent signature of the particular prohibited content signaturesmatches the content signature; terminating the data transmission of thevideo content from the source device to the data storage device; andadding or removing the source device to or from a list of authorized orunauthorized devices thereby preventing a future receipt of content fromthe source device by the data storage device.
 17. The device of claim16, wherein the terminating the data transmission comprises terminatinga particular connection between the source device and the data storagedevice, and wherein the adding or removing the source device to or fromthe list is based in part on a determination that a user associated withthe source device has attempted to modify a format of the video content.18. The device of claim 16, wherein the operations further comprisegenerating, in response to determining that the first prohibited contentsignature matched the content signature, a record of the datatransmission, the record including identity information descriptive of auser device that initiated the data transmission and content informationdescriptive of the video content.
 19. The device of claim 18, whereinthe operations further comprise adding the identity information to ablacklist of devices that are prohibited from sending content to thedata storage device.
 20. The device of claim 16, wherein the pluralityof video content frames is selected based on an intra-coded frame of thevideo content.